Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves watches the start of his trial at the High Court of Catalonia in Barcelona on February 5, 2024 (Photo by JORDI BORRAS/POOL/AFP, Getty Images)
The sexual assault trial of Barcelona and Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves began in Spain on Monday.
A 23-year-old woman who claimed Alves raped her on December 31, 2022, testified behind closed doors to protect her identity. She also testified that two of her friends who were with her that night also testified.
Alves, 40, has always maintained his innocence. He changed his story about that night many times.
The woman told police she and some friends encountered Alves at a nightclub in Barcelona last year. She said that after their brief conversation, Alves took her into the bathroom, groped her and then raped her.
Friends said in court Monday that Alves and the woman were in the bathroom for about 15 minutes. A friend said Alves left first, then the woman, who appeared “devastated”, according to Reuters.
“She said she had to go.” We left to get our coats from the concierge, but before we got there my cousin said to me, “She said she had to go. [Alves] He hurt her badly and ejaculated inside her,” the witness said.
When the allegations first became public, Alves claimed he had never seen the woman before. Upon her arrest, he admitted to meeting her but denied having sexual contact with her. Three months later, he admitted to having sex, but he claimed it was consensual. Alves said he lied desperately at first to try to save his marriage.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking nine years in prison if Alves is convicted. He has already spent a year in prison in a prison outside Barcelona because a judge deemed him a flight risk.
Alves’ home country, Brazil, does not extradite its citizens. Another Brazilian soccer star, Robinho, also took part in a gang rape of a woman at a Milan nightclub in 2013, authorities said. He was convicted in 2017 but remained in his home country and has never seen an Italian prison.
Alves was a global superstar at Barcelona from 2008 to 2016, winning numerous trophies with the club and teammate Lionel Messi. At the time of his arrest, he was playing for Mexican club Pumas, who subsequently terminated his contract.
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